How are you going in Ashes Cricket 2009?
- Thread starter Gilly Fan
- Start date
But when your using
Micheal "turnandburn" Clarke and Simon "Spinaweb" Katich
You cant really make that an excuse!!
King Pietersen
ICC Board Member
- Joined
- Nov 15, 2006
- Location
- Manchester
I've been playing an ODI tournament recently. Managed to win the Quarter Final game against Sri Lanka. I made 260odd batting first, with a glorious 150 from Pietersen. I then managed to pick up a few lucky wickets, but Sri Lanka continued to score very quickly. Sangakkara looked the most dangerous, but then Adil Rashid came one and turned one from miles outside off to hit middle stump. Sangakkara just played all-round it.
I then managed to take consistent wickets, mainly with Gashid and Flintoff, before eventually bowling them out for 220. Rashid ended up with 5/48 from 8 overs.
I'm now in the middle of a run chase in the semi final against SA. They made 267 batting first thanks to a big innings from Albie Morkel and some helpful runs from Mark Boucher. I'm currently 53/3, with Pietersen going well again. Steven Davies managed a few first up but got himself out. Bopara then couldn't get it off the square before hitting a Steyn bouncer straight to mid-on. Shah edged behind off Albie Morkel as well, to bring Collingwood to the crease with 215 to win.
I then managed to take consistent wickets, mainly with Gashid and Flintoff, before eventually bowling them out for 220. Rashid ended up with 5/48 from 8 overs.
I'm now in the middle of a run chase in the semi final against SA. They made 267 batting first thanks to a big innings from Albie Morkel and some helpful runs from Mark Boucher. I'm currently 53/3, with Pietersen going well again. Steven Davies managed a few first up but got himself out. Bopara then couldn't get it off the square before hitting a Steyn bouncer straight to mid-on. Shah edged behind off Albie Morkel as well, to bring Collingwood to the crease with 215 to win.
MasterBlaster76
ICC Chairman
You know those ones that just miss the edge, or just spin past the edge? Have you ever seen one actually take the edge?
Stephen Bailey
Executive member
End of Australia 1st Innings - Day Two - 3rd Ashes Test @ Edgbaston
Scorecard
Bowling
Match Summary
Looking pretty good despite some resistance from White and Johnson. Dropped a couple of catches during that little session, both times it was Prior.
Scorecard
Bowling
Match Summary
Looking pretty good despite some resistance from White and Johnson. Dropped a couple of catches during that little session, both times it was Prior.
MasterBlaster76
ICC Chairman
Hows your test going masterblaster?
Here's my 2nd test report, up to lunch:
2nd Test 1st Day:
England won the toss and decided to bat on a gloriously sunny, but fairly cool day.
Disastrous start with Strauss falling to Johnson after only six balls.
England now 7/1, taking lots of quick singles. This must be annoying the Aussies...
4th over and Johnson catches the edge of Cook's bat, but it goes wide of 2nd slip and England gratefully grab the single on offer. Australia are right on top! Last ball of the 5th over and Johnson catches the edge again, this time off a KP defensive shot, but it just falls short of first slip.
Here we go again! KP out edging behind off a backward defensive shot, safely pouched by second slip. England in trouble again, 18/2.
8th over and Collingwood edges to 2nd slip who puts the chance down; Hilfenhaus is furious! England really need to see off this rough patch and somehow make it to lunch without losing anymore wickets. In fairness, three down would be an acceptable situation at the moment.
That's not to be: Collingwood has played some nice pull shots in the ninth over, but he goes for one too many and top edges it to Haddin. England in deep trouble and we're only on the first morning!
10th over - Johnson gets it a bit too wide outside offstump and Bell climbs into it with a glorious square drive for four, only England's second boundary of the morning. First ball of the next over and Cook wafts at one wide outside offstump from Hilfenhaus, just missed the edge.
14th over and on comes Hussey (!) First ball is short and wide, but Cook misses out on a pull shot that he should've hit for four and only gets a single. England 43/3.
Last ball of the 14th over and Bell drives at a Hussey delivery, catches the edge, but the chance is shelled by second slip (again), who is having a bit of a nightmare today. At drinks:
22st over and Bell pulls Siddle off a short ball that just fails to reach the boundary, but England take an all run four anyway; 70/3 now. Last ball of the over and Siddle tempts Cook into a drive which he edges, but once again, it fails to carry, this time by some distance.
24th over and Bell pulls at a short Hussey delivery, but makes a complete mess of it and he's out, caught at last, by the grateful second slip. England 81/4. Bell is very angry with himself: he'd done the hard bit, played himself in, only to give his wicket away really. England needed more from him and are once again in trouble, after a useful partnership that looked to be getting them back on track.
Bell, you ding-a-ling!
Uh-oh - Cook gone, after a useful 33, but England really needed a lot more than that. They're in all kinds of trouble now on the 1st day of the 2nd Test at 91/5 - someone needs to play out of their skin to get England out of this mess. Two new batsmen at the crease now and the Aussies are really turning the screw.
The morning hasn't exactly gone the way England wanted. Most shots came from good bowling rather than bad batting...
27th over and a comedy of errors: Freddy drops the ball and runs for a single that probably wasn't there, the fielder comes in, shies and misses and the ball goes for two more overthrows, with the second being a close run thing as the batsman just gets in. Sort it out, England!
Oh dear - Prior drives straight at the fielder who shies at the stumps and runs him out at the non striker end. England are making a right mess of this - maybe they should've bowled first...
Hundred up for England, after 27 overs, but they're six wickets down. All rests on Freddy and the tail.
10 minutes to go until lunch and as if it wasn't bad enough, on comes the hero of the first test, Nathan Hauritz.
So, England crawl to lunch at six wickets down and in deep, deep trouble:
Someone really needs to dig in here in the afternoon session and the England bowlers will need to play out of their skins.
2nd Test 1st Day:
Afternoon session:
First ball after lunch - Hauritz overpitches and Freddy square drives him for four - good start...three balls later, he tries the same shot, misses and is stumped by Haddin. The tail offers very little resistance: Broad tries to take on a short ball offered up by Johnson, but it hits him squarely in the ribcage. He's out, along with the rest of the tail not much later and England have made a paltry 119 all out.
Australia's 1st Innings:
Anderson has made a very good start - only one run off the first over, which was a no-ball. During the over, he hit Watson and shaped one just past his bat. England need to keep this sort of thing up.
3rd over and Anderson takes the edge of Watson's bat, it loops wide of second slip, but it was a no-ball anyway. Great start from Anderson - he takes the edge of Watson's bat again, but it just falls short of 2nd slip.
First five overs then, Australia 11/0, but it hasn't been comfortable. Given England's very low total, they need to keep the pressure on.
At drinks:
Aussies are a lot more comfortable now, the run rate is a steady 2 rpo, but there's a lot of time left in this game, so it doesn't matter. Change of bowling: Broad to replace Flintoff. 4th ball of the over and Watson smacks him back over his head for four.
At tea:
Evening session:
After tea, Swann is bought on to replace Anderson. Good spell by the England seamer, he deserved at least one wicket. England's total is looking increasingly fragile, they could well be looking at a huge deficit here.
24th over, huge appeal from a Broad delivery:
Bad shot there by Watson!
and it's given without a moment's thought. Finally, England have the breakthrough, Watson gone for 18 from 77 balls, LBW to Broad. Hawkeye shows it was a good decision by the Umpire, if not by Watson!
25th over, Ponting, who's just come in, goes for a big hit down the ground which he mistimes and is almost caught, just falls short at Long off. Close shave for Ponting, who also isn't looking comfortable agains Swann.
29th over, Prior drops Ponting off a Swann delivery that spins sharply past his bat; England can't afford to drop chances.
At drinks:
Swann and Broad are bowling very well in tandem here.
32nd over and Broad has Katich out, clean bowled leaving one that just shaped back in. Two new men at the crease now, this is just what England need.
36th over, Ponting cover drives Broad in the air over the infield and safe for four runs. Nice shot by the Aussie skipper, but Broad won't mind that too much: he wants to get Ponting driving!
38th over and Ponting crashes Broad back over his head for four. Maybe Broad should come off now, this is his eleventh over; a good, tight spell where he took 2 wickets. The very next over and Clarke shoulders arms to a Swann delivery with extra bounce and just takes the top of middle stump. Australia 104/3 - well bowled, Swann.
Harmison on for Broad. Consecutive fours off the last two balls ruin what would've otherwise been a very good start for Harmison.
Hussey dropped on 10 by Prior off Swann, England will rue those two drops, they could've had the Aussies 118/5, instead they're a comfortable 118/3.
Aussies now 120/3 and lead by 1. Harmison to bowl his second over.
45th over and there's an appeal for a run-out, but Ponting just gets home. He's looking more and more comfortable - that drop by Prior could be very costly for England.
48th over, most likely the last of the day and it's Harmison to bowl.
And he's out! Hussey tries an expansive drive straight down the ground and hits it right down Long off's throat! A nice, timely breakthrough for England in the last over!
Two consecutive drives over Harmison's head bring up yet another fifty for Ponting. Prior doesn't look happy...
Time for one more over, Swann to bowl it.
Fairly uneventful over, Ponting driving the last ball of the day down the ground for a single. Super first day for Australia, England have a lot of work to do. What a shame those two catches weren't taken!
Day 2 is going to be fun!
Last edited:
Stephen Bailey
Executive member
Close of play - Day Two - 3rd Ashes Test @ Edgbaston
Once again I've not batted as well as I would've liked, although the Cook dismissal was pretty unlucky. Cameron White bowls it way down the leg side, I get a little edge on it and Haddin takes a diving catch!
There's been a few more scoring opportunities this innings, especially off Brett Lee who bowled a lot of short and wide rubbish. I really struggled to get it away with Bell at first but eventually got going. He then got a lovely ball that swung in and trapped him dead in front.
Oh well, still got 5 wickets left and already lead by 250 so should be able to get at the very minimum 320-330 lead.
Once again I've not batted as well as I would've liked, although the Cook dismissal was pretty unlucky. Cameron White bowls it way down the leg side, I get a little edge on it and Haddin takes a diving catch!
There's been a few more scoring opportunities this innings, especially off Brett Lee who bowled a lot of short and wide rubbish. I really struggled to get it away with Bell at first but eventually got going. He then got a lovely ball that swung in and trapped him dead in front.
Oh well, still got 5 wickets left and already lead by 250 so should be able to get at the very minimum 320-330 lead.
Seems a great match all to play for i guess but australia deffinately have the game in there hands tho, but still second innings to come. Your gonna need a very big score probz to have any chance of winning tho and your 1-0 down, not looking to good at the moment.
D
Dutch
Guest
Brilliant pictures and reporting! really comprehensive and an interesting read! Cheers!
You are the heights we strive for!
MasterBlaster76
ICC Chairman
Brilliant pictures and reporting! really comprehensive and an interesting read! Cheers!
You are the heights we strive for!
Well, shucks!
:o
